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Macaron Tutorial

Friday, October 24, 2008

When I was a little girl I had quite a few nicknames. I will spare you the ones my dear and gentle (hmmm...) brothers gave me but my family gave me two that are still around today: Tartelette and Reine des Pommes. The first one is obvious as I love to make tarts and they were probably my first venture in the kitchen. The second needs a little French idiom explanation. It's not that I ate that many apples but " une pomme" is also a person with a kooky or funky personality. I was just that as a child, coming up from my day dreams just long enough to breath some fresh air, realize the world out there was not that great and going back deep into my fantasies.

Whenever something was wrong I'd find comfort eating some of my mother's apple cake while reading a Charles Perrault's fairy tale. A slice of my grandmother's apple pie was also enough to transport me into a magical world of brave knights and pretty princesses. Yes, just from one slice. One of my favorite fairy tale was indeed Snow White, so Pomme quickly became my nickname. Even today B. calls me his "petite pomme" and I know he does not mean his "little airhead" as the idiom is sometimes used too. No man in their right mind would call his dear wife that when she is holding a plate of his favorite cookies right under his nose!

A couple of times before I have written here about our friend M. who is facing the biggest battle of her life right now. On the weekends, we go visit M. and her husband and try to help as much as we can. I do a little grocery shopping for her on my way there and try to fix a couple of dishes for the week. B. and her husband work in the same department so they talk shop or fix something around the house. I usually end up reading some pages to M. while she rests or tries to eat something. Last weekend she did not feel like reading from her current book. "Why don't you tell me one of your stories?" she asked instead. "A fairy tale", she added. "Allright, but we need apple tartelettes for that!" I replied.

She was a little caught off guard by my response and I quickly explained the pomme nickname, the childhood day dreams, the apple desserts and Snow White. Her request was perfect as I had brought some freshly made apple tartelettes to have for dinner with them. I remembered they liked theirs with ice cream so I also made a fresh batch of cheesecake ice cream to change from vanilla. Nothing wrong with that, I just wanted something a little different. We sort of forgot to tell the men we were digging into the dessert and sat on her bed with our tartelettes and ice cream while I proceeded to tell her a fairy tale.

Yes, she was the heroin, defended by her valiant King, conquering the villain Cancer Witch with the help of Little Pomme and her wonderful Prince Pomme and their two fearless and giant dogs (hum..hum..). I know M. I know I can come up with stories like that and not make her depressed or sad. Indeed, she cracked up and felt invigorated by this little tale proving my parents they were wrong to tell me that day dreams are useless. You just have to know when to use them, that's all.

The tartelettes are built in ring molds, starting with a sable breton base (shortbread), filled with a layer of frangipane (almond) cream and topped by slices of honey roasted apples. If you do not have ring molds, you can of course build the tartelettes into regular individual molds, they may not be as tall. The cheesecake ice cream is so easy to make and delicious I wish I could have some everyday for breakfast. Well, I could....I can....day dreaming again...oops! It is not too sweet and a nice change from vanilla ice cream. I like to add some graham cracker crumbs when I serve it on its own but I left it plain this time as they were already plenty of crust to go around. I used 3 inch round molds bought at the local craft store (Mickael's). Same store where I get the cupcake liners (Wilton brand) that some of you asked about in the previous post. The ribbons were added with a piece of thin double sided tape.

In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix until combined. Add the flour, cornstarch and salt and mix briefly to incorporate. Dump the whole mixture onto a lightly floured board and gather the dough into a smooth ball. Do not work the dough while in the mixer or it will toughen up. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.When the dough is nice and cold, roll it out on a lightly floured board or in between the sheets of plastic. You will need half the amount of dough to make the tartelettes. The other half can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days or frozen, well wrapped for up to 3 months. Cut out rounds with a 3 inch pastry ring. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes. Let cool.

For the Honey Roasted Apples:4 medium apples1/2 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 350F. Peel core and cut the apples in thin slices. Lay them on a couple of parchment paper lined baking sheets and drizzle at will with the honey. Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. Let cool.

Place the butter, sugar, almond powder, vanilla bean seeds and the eggs in a large bowl and whisk until smooth (can also be done in a food processor). Add the cream but stir in it instead of whisking not to emulsify it or it will rise while baking. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Place 8 baked rounds of dough in 8 pastry rings, divide the cream evenly among the rings and bake 20 minutes at 350F. Let cool. Once cooled, remove the tarts from the rings and arrange the apple slices decoratively on top.

Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. In a saucepan set on medium heat, bring the milk and the cream to boiling point, slowly pour a small amount on the egg yolks to temper. Pour the remaining over the yolks and sugar. Stir well then pour back in the saucepan and cook over medium low heat until the cream thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until completely melted and incorporated. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Process in an ice cream maker according to your machine's manufacturer's instruction. If you do not have an ice cream machine, follow the directions laid out in this post.

Your photos are phenomenal!! I can really feel the mood of fall through them.I've always loved how you made beautiful roses out of pieces of fruits. So simple yet so visually effective!! Cheesecake ice cream sounds so yummy!! I'm sure your friends enjoyed both very much!!

Aww, why would your parents tell you that?! Daydreams are VERY important! It exercises the imagination, which plays such an important role in your craft. Which also happens to be your job, reine de pommes (de terre-- kidding!)! And it produced this lovely dessert we have before us today! You are such a good friend to M, I hope her condition improves.

Yummy in the tummy! And so beautiful to look at also. Airhead you're not, but a really great friend you are. Hope that M has lots of organic foods. I have a friend who had cancer (intestinal) and that made her turn vegetarian completely and organic-ian (if there is such a word). She is still sprightly and turning tai-chi every morning!

Actually I wanted to ask Jen at Use Real Butter why she is eating so much meat, but since I am still a blog-newbie, I was afraid she might "bite off my head". You know, she has such a strong personality, which I love to listen to but dare not interrupt!

And if she reads this, my head would probably roll anyway. Which is fine, I suppose, because all I want is to share what I have learned from my friend. Thank you, Helen, for bringing this up. Life is short and health is most important.

Those moments you spend with M. will most likely give so much strength or at least peace, to know she has friends and people like to be with her even at the end. She really is lucky to have you in her life and you know I'm not just saying that. I really believe that you are just such a generous soul Helen. And no need to convince me on these tarts. My favorite components! Breton, check... frangipane with tons of butter, check... baked apples fork tender, check... ice cream, check... what else can one have?

Your story brought tears to my eyes and a smile on my face at the same time. What a sweet friendship you both have. Once the dust settles, I am going to try this dessert, sable, baked apples, and cream cheese ice cream, sounds like heaven.

you are so generous, and i know that the kind things you are doing is making an impact, large and small for your dear friend M.

but are those pomegranate seeds i see as "garnish" for these amazing tartelettes?! what a fantastic treat! if this doesn't convince me to put an ice cream maker on the holiday wishlist i don't know what will! ;-)

Helen . . . your stories hurt my heart and yet are so joyous. Thank you.This little tart is so much you in so many ways. For me the pomegranate makes it you but I know thats because you've wrapped all the other in and shared so much here.

oh that's nasty! you knew that i would love your blog. you knew, i'd link you! so i do ;-)! right now, i'm thinking about translating my blog into english, that people like you can not only see my jewelry, but also read my texts. i don't really know, if my english is good enough for that. so i'll think a bit longer about it... :-)!

pomme was your nickname and not Blanche Neige? But pomme was what killed her!

i just picked apples at an apple orchard, almost ready to put up in my next post....ahk but first I have midterm exam on the decline of the western cattle industry, railroads, and religious revival, ahh! in an hour!

Helen, I love how delicate the tarts look, with those roses made of apples. So pretty! Almost ethereal. As for the ice cream, I'm curious! I'm not a huge fan of cheesecakes, but something tells me I would love it made into ice cream... ;)

Helen! I so wish I had enough time in the day to make all your gorgeous desserts! Unfortunately, if I did, I'd be the size of a house. Fortunately, your photos are scrumptious enough to sate me until my next visit! Such seductive colours. I love it.

Helena: glad your friend is doing well and has found what works for her. I can't speak for Jen but I know she is closely monitored by wonderful doctors who had nothing negative to say about her choices. As far as our friend M. it pains me to say that there is no "getting better" in her case. So if she wants to eat butter and frangipane, I am not one to tell her no. She is living for "right now" because as she points it she could end up under a 18 wheeler tomorrow, healthy or not, and that would not change a thing.I am not disagreeing with you, I am just saying that all three women are well cancer educated so I am not one to question their own choices.

When my Grandfather was dying of cancer, my Mother and I and a bunch of the family cared for him in his final days. It was an amazing memory for me but I wont go into it now. Anyway one day my GF asked for red beet soup. My Aunt, who is a nurse, said that was not a good idea. My Mother stearnly told her that he could have whatever he wants, anything to bring him some comfort. He only ate a few tablespoons.

Its all u to the individual.

Its a beautiful, intimate and loving thing you did for your friend. You are a beautiful person Tartelette/Helen!

Helena: don't feel that way. You did nothing wrong by sharing your story. I can't speak for Jen, only M. and I know that she has tried everything possible but it is too late unfortunately and things are not improving no matter what she does. I am thrilled to hear your friend is doing so good and that she found hat orks for her. That is the most important thing.

This apple dessert is a work of art. An amazing pastry chef and a weaver of stories... You're my type of person Helen. I am sorry that your friend is having a hard time battling cancer. I am glad that she has you to warm her heart.

Beautiful tarts, Tartlette! Even more beautiful is the way you are helping your friend. That takes a real sweety which I'm guessing you are!btw..remember that the bones are very hard and have to be dunked. We don't want the kiddies breaking their teeth now, do we? buahahaha (evil laugh)Maryann xox

You sound like a wonderful friend! Those tarts look and sound fantastic! I can never make my apples into a perfect rose. Does the frangipane make it easier to set the apples because they have something to stick to?

I know nicknames all too well. My family had nicknames for everyone and all different ones. We grew up never really knowing what our real names were! I've seen many apples dishes lately, but your tarts just top them all!

Chef C: that is a topic that takes more than a comment and others have written better about it than I ever would but to answer your immediate questions:I use a Canon Rebel XTi and I mostly shoot on Aperture setting. I have a 50mm fast lens and a slower 100mm macro.

Your tartlettes are stunningly beautiful. And I love your stories. Sometimes when I feel just a little blue, I love to come and read your blog and your stories. It always makes me feel just a bit better.

You're taking time on producing fabulous desserts, Helen, I admire you. Would love to try out the cheesecake I cream, haven't used this type of cream before. Mascarpone I use for parfait, it's just lovely. Mmm... you make me think of something.

Did you really make tarts when you were just a little girl? (AMAZING! You! Are!)

I don't know what it is, but your story---the fairy tale, I mean---made my eyes well up with tears. In a good way, though, not sad. I think it's beautiful that a friend would tell another friend that kind of story.

thanks Helen for the info on the lenses used for your photography here. we have the same camera. I guess i just don't know how best to make use of it. the choice of 50mm and 100mm does make the huge difference! you pictures always have the right depth of field, and they make your subjects so outstanding and scrumptious-looking like they are going to pop out of the page and make everyone salivate!

I also like your response to Helena. Like Jen and your friend M we make informed choices about our treatments. The media and PR companies are responsible for such a lot of misinformation about diet and cancer.

For the record I know a woman who grew and sold organic foods and died of breast cancer at 60.

The secret to surviving cancer is early detection which is why check ups are so important.

last: for the apple blossoms, once the apples are roasted and cooled, take one slice and put it against the crust, overlap another slice next to that one and keep going around the top. Do the same thing for the other rows.

Angela: the baked sable with frangipane freeze very well. I usually bake extras and keep them in the freezer and either top with fresh or poached fruit. I know the apples could be frozen with the rest too but I think that freshly roasted would taste better.